Method for remediating mold and mildew using acidic electrolyzed water

ABSTRACT

Methods for remediating mold and mildew are provided using acidic electrolyzed water. Acidic electrolyzed A water, electrolyzed C water or combination of electrolyzed A and C water is released into an infected area through a high pressure sprayer, a mister or an electrostatic sprayer. Upon contacting the infected area, mold and mildew growing in the infected area is remedied.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/482,368, filed Jun. 25, 2003.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to cleaning and disinfecting. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to a method of mold and mildewremediation using acidic electrolyzed oxidizing water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method for remediating mold andmildew in an infected area using high pressure washing. This methodadvantageously includes spraying acidic electrolyzed water onto thesurface of the infected area using a high pressure sprayer to wash theinfected area. This method can further advantageously include a step ofscrubbing the infected area.

The present invention is also directed to a method for remediating moldand mildew in an infected area using an acidic electrolyzed water mist.This method advantageously includes releasing acidic electrolyzed waterinto the air in the infected area using a mister to form acidicelectrolyzed water mist. Upon contacting the infected area, the acidicelectrolyzed water mist remedies mold and mildew in the infected area.

This method can be used to clean infected air ducts by brushing theducts with a brush while the acidic electrolyzed water mist is beingreleased from a mister into the ducts. The acidic electrolyzed watermist mixes with the brush, thereby remedies mold and mildew along thebrush path in the infected air ducts.

The present invention is further directed to a method for remediatingmold and mildew in an infected area using electrostatic spraying. Thismethod advantageously includes releasing acidic electrolyzed water intothe air in the infected area using an electrostatic sprayer to formmicro droplets of acidic electrolyzed water. The micro droplets ofacidic electrolyzed water reacts with mold and mildew in the infectedarea, thereby cleans the area.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention uses acidic electrolyzed water, referred to hereinas A and C types, to clean mold and mildew. Electrolyzed A water has anoxidative/reduction potential (ORP) of 1,160-1,170⁺ mV and a pH of1.8-2.4. It contains 10-150 or up to 200 ppm hypochlorous acid (HOCl),which is a powerful oxidizing agent. Such high level of HOCl providespremium condition for killing mold, yet is still non-toxic to humans.Electrolyzed C water has ORP of 850 mV and a pH of up to 5. Type C wateralso contains HOCl at a level in the range mentioned above. Type C wateris stabilized A water with a longer shelf life.

Electrolyzed water (“EO water”) is produced by an electrolysis generatorthat produces some chlorine gas. Some of the chlorine gas reacts to formthe HOCl. The electrolysis generator also simultaneously produces analkaline water stream, referred to herein as type B. The pH of the EOwater may be controlled by blending some of the type B water back intothe water entering the electrolysis cells. This raises the pH of thewater entering the cells. Sufficient alkaline water is recirculated andmixed with the water entering the electrolysis cells to produce type CEO water with a pH of approximately 5.

To determine the safeness for use, type A water with a HOClconcentration of 70 ppm was evaluated for primary skin irritation inaccordance with the guidelines of the International Organization forStandardization 10993: Biological Evaluation of Medical Devices, Part10: Test for Irritation and Sensitization. Portions of the test articleand control article were topically applied to the skin of rabbits andleft in place for 24 hours. The sites were graded for erythema and edemaat 1, 24, 48 and 72 hours after removal of the single sampleapplication.

Under the above testing conditions, no erythema and edema were observedon the skin of the rabbits. The Primary Irritation Index for the testarticle was calculated to be 0.0. The response of the test article wascategorized as negligible.

Type A water was also evaluated for the potential to cause vaginalmucosal irritation. This study was conducted in accordance with therequirements of the International Organization for Standardization10993: Biological Evaluation of Medical Devices, Part 10: Test forIrritation and Sensitization. Testing Rabbits received a daily 2 mlintravaginal treatment of the test article for 5 consecutive days.Control rabbits were similarly treated with 0.9% sodium chloride USPsolution. The animals were euthanized the day following the lasttreatment. Each vagina was removed and evaluated macroscopically andmicroscopically. Under the above testing conditions, the test articleswere considered a nonirritant to the vaginal mucosal tissue of therabbits.

With the skin irritation and vaginal mucosal irritation test resultsbeing safe, electrolyzed A water or C water is used to treat mold andmildew. One method is to use high pressure washing. Full strengthelectrolyzed A water or C water is sprayed under the room temperaturewith a conventional high pressure sprayer directly unto the visiblyinfected areas or areas where mold or mildew is suspected to have grown.The high pressure spray is directly typically onto areas that would notbe damaged by being wetted with the spray, such as floors, cabinets andcertain appliances. Mold and mildew is killed immediately uponcontacting the acidic EO water spray. Usually no scrubbing is neededunless the mold is densely accumulated with high visibility and growingoff a wall.

Another method of treating mold and mildew is to use a cold mister orfogger to release electrolyzed A water or C water into the air. Theentire room is misted with a conventional mister or fogger. The mistwill come into contact with the floor, walls, ceiling, cabinets, andfurniture. The mist will also come into contact with fabrics in theroom, such as drapes, carpet and upholstered furniture. However, theduration of the misting is not long, typically only a few minutes, thusno damage occurs to the fabric. Air borne mold is instantly killed bythe mist as well as mold on the floor, walls, ceiling, cabinets, andfurniture.

The fogging method can be used for cleaning air ducts where mold andmildew is suspected to have grown. A brush can be used to run down theduct while a mister or fogger releases electrolyzed A water or C waterinto the duct. The opposite end of the duct from the mister is typicallysealed. As the brush runs down the duct, acidic EO water mist will mixwith the brush and kill mold and mildew growing in the duct along thebrush path, thereby cleaning the air duct. The fogger could also beincorporated with the brush so that it moves along the duct with thebrush.

Also, a conventional electrostatic sprayer can be used to sprayelectrolyzed A water or C water unto the infected areas. Acidic EO wateris first added to the sprayer. Once the sprayer is triggered, the acidicEO water exits the sprayer. Micro droplets of water are formed upon therelease of electrolyzed A water. Such droplets have negative charges andwill react with positively charged particles growing in the airincluding mold and mildew. Electrostatic spraying is a magnetic processcommonly used in car painting and carpet dying.

Some mold infected buildings may require pressure washing, fogging andelectrostatic spraying as well as air duct cleaning. An air test isperformed before and after the treatment to ensure that the mold andmildew has been removed from the air after the treatment, thus is cleanand safe for living.

Although only electrolyzed A water has been tested so far with positiveresults, C water is anticipated to perform the same tasks with the samepositive effect.

The present invention is directed to a method for remediating mold andmildew in an infected area using high pressure washing. This methodadvantageously includes spraying acidic electrolyzed water onto thesurface of the infected area using a high pressure sprayer to wash theinfected area. This method can further advantageously include a step ofscrubbing the infected area.

In this method, acidic electrolyzed water used can be electrolyzed Awater, electrolyzed C water, or combination of electrolyzed A and Cwater. The electrolyzed A water preferably has an oxidative/reductionpotential of about 1,160⁺-1,170⁺ mV and a pH of about 1.8-2.4. Suchelectrolyzed A water preferably contains about 10-200 ppm ofhypochlorous acid. The electrolyzed C water preferably has anoxidative/reduction potential of about 850⁺ mV and a pH of up to about5. Such electrolyzed C water preferably contains about 10-200 ppm ofhypochlorous acid.

The present invention is also directed to a method for remediating moldand mildew in an infected area using an acidic electrolyzed water mist.This method advantageously includes releasing acidic electrolyzed waterinto the air in the infected area using a mister to form acidicelectrolyzed water mist. Upon contacting the infected area, the acidicelectrolyzed water mist remedies mold and mildew in the infected area.

This method can be used to clean infected air ducts by brushing theducts with a brush while the acidic electrolyzed water mist is beingreleased from a mister into the ducts. The acidic electrolyzed watermist mixes with the brush, thereby remedies mold and mildew along thebrush path in the infected air ducts.

In this method, acidic electrolyzed water used can be electrolyzed Awater, electrolyzed C water, or combination of electrolyzed A and Cwater. The electrolyzed A water preferably has an oxidative/reductionpotential of about 1,160⁺-1,170⁺ mV and a pH of about 1.8-2.4. Suchelectrolyzed A water preferably contains about 10-200 ppm ofhypochlorous acid. The electrolyzed C water preferably has anoxidative/reduction potential of about 850⁺ mV and a pH of up to about5. Such electrolyzed C water preferably contains about 10-200 ppm ofhypochlorous acid.

The present invention is further directed to a method for remediatingmold and mildew in an infected area using electrostatic spraying. Thismethod advantageously includes releasing acidic electrolyzed water intothe air in the infected area using an electrostatic sprayer to formmicro droplets of acidic electrolyzed water. The micro droplets ofacidic electrolyzed water reacts with mold and mildew in the infectedarea, thereby cleans the area.

In this method, acidic electrolyzed water used can be electrolyzed Awater, electrolyzed C water, or combination of electrolyzed A and Cwater. The electrolyzed A water preferably has an oxidative/reductionpotential of about 1,160⁺-1,170⁺ mV and a pH of about 1.8-2.4. Suchelectrolyzed A water preferably contains about 10-200 ppm ofhypochlorous acid. The electrolyzed C water preferably has anoxidative/reduction potential of about 850⁺ mV and a pH of up to about5. Such electrolyzed C water preferably contains about 10-200 ppm ofhypochlorous acid.

While the invention has been shown or described in only some of itsforms, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that it is notso limited, but is susceptible to various changes without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

1. A method for remediating mold and mildew in an infected area,comprising the step of: spraying acidic electrolyzed water onto thesurface of the infected area using a high pressure sprayer to wash theinfected area, thereby remediating mold and mildew in the infected area;wherein the acidic electrolyzed water has an oxidative/reductionpotential of about 1,160⁺-1,170⁺ mV and a pH of about 1.8-2.4, andcontains about 10-200 ppm of hypochlorous acid.
 2. The method of claim1, the method further comprising the step of: scrubbing the infectedarea.
 3. A method for remediating mold and mildew in an infected area,comprising the step of: spraying acidic electrolyzed water onto thesurface of the infected area using a high pressure sprayer to wash theinfected area, thereby remediating mold and mildew in the infected area;wherein the acidic electrolyzed water has a stabilizedoxidative/reduction potential of about 850⁺ mV and a pH of up to about5, and contains about 10-200 ppm of hypochlorous acid.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, the method further comprising the step of: scrubbing theinfected area.
 5. A method for remediating mold and mildew in aninfected area, comprising the step of: spraying acidic electrolyzedwater onto the surface of the infected area using a high pressuresprayer to wash the infected area, thereby remediating mold and mildewin the infected area, wherein the acidic electrolyzed water comprises:water having an oxidative/reduction potential of about 1,160⁺-1,170⁺ mVand a pH of about 1.8-2.4, and contains about 10-200 ppm of hypochlorousacid; and water having a stabilized oxidative/reduction potential ofabout 850⁺ mV and a pH of up to about 5, and contains about 10-200 ppmof hypochlorous acid.
 6. The method of claim 5, the method furthercomprising the step of: scrubbing the infected area.